Diabetes Prevention and Management

The diabetes team supports the Tennessee Department of Health’s efforts to prevent diabetes and ensure access to diabetes management and supportive care services to improve quality of life for all Tennesseans.

Self-Care Practices, Quality of Care, and Early Detection

In 2023, the Tennessee Department of Health began work on a 5-year strategy under a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program devoted  strategies to “Advancing Health Equity for Priority Populations with or At Risk for Diabetes.”       

To support the program's goals and objectives, TDH conducts activities in the following areas:

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention

  • Increase access to, coverage for, and enrollment and retention of people with prediabetes in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) lifestyle change program.   
  • Work with healthcare organizations to identify people with prediabetes and refer them to CDC-recognized organizations offering the NDPP lifestyle change program. 
  • Prevent diabetes complications for priority populations through early detection. 
    • Increase diabetic retinopathy screening in priority populations with diabetes. 
    • Improve early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in priority populations with diabetes. 
  • Increase implementation of evidence-based, family-centered childhood obesity interventions.

Diabetes Management

  • Increase access to, coverage for, and participation of people with diabetes in Diabetes Self-management Education and Support (DSMES) programs recognized by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) or accredited by the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES).  
  • Increase the number of pharmacists who provide DSMES and help people with diabetes manage their medications.  

Legislative Report

The Tennessee Diabetes Legislative Report provides the latest data on the prevalence, incidence, morbidity, and mortality of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in Tennessee. The report provides an account of efforts to decrease the rising incidence of this progressive disease and includes nine recommendations to reduce the incidence of diabetes, improve diabetes care, and reduce negative health outcomes associated with diabetes. 

Tennessee Diabetes Legislative Report (2023)

Related Public Health Initiatives

Contact

For more information on the Diabetes Prevention and Management Program, complete the following form and a member of our team will contact you.


The StEM Coalition

The goal of the Tennessee Diabetes State Engagement Meeting (StEM) is to expand access and participation in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) and Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs ensuring that all Tennesseans have access to high quality diabetes prevention, management, and supportive care.  

StEM brings together 150+ key partners in diabetes prevention and management who have been working toward reducing diabetes prevalence.  The coalition includes organizations representing:  

  • Health System Partners
  • Community- and Faith-based Organizations
  • Local NDPP Providers
  • Academic Partners 
  • Public Health Partners
  • Non-profit Organizations

Diabetes Prevention Program

National Diabetes Prevention Programs, National DPP, are programs recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as lifestyle change programs. These are yearlong programs that will support you and teach you healthy eating habits, incorporating physical activity into your daily activity, managing stress, problem-solving, and staying motivated. These classes are for individuals that are at risk for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.   

  • DPP participants, who lost 5-7% of their body weight and added 150 minutes of exercise per week, cut their risk for developing diabetes by 58%. 
  • DPP program participants were one-third less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to people who did not attend the program. 
  • The DPP program can lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, improve your health, and potentially reverse your prediabetes diagnosis.  

State of Tennessee employees receive DPP Benefits, click here to learn more.

Diabetes Data and Resources

Diabetes Data

Prediabetes Resources

Diabetes Management

Provider Resources

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support, DSMES, is an evidence-based program accredited through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).  

The program is for persons diagnosed with diabetes and looking for tools to manage the disease. DSMES are on-going programs that should be repeated every 1-2 years.  In 2015, the ADA, AADE, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) released a joint statement on essential times referrals should be made to DSMES programs.

Candidates for DSMES should:

  • Be newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. 
  • Have an annual review of education, nutrition, and emotional needs.
  • Be experiencing new complicating factors that affect their self-management. 
  • Have a transition of care.

Programs can be offered in an individual setting or group setting. In the one-on-one setting, you will create a plan that fits your lifestyle needs. In the group setting, you will have the opportunity to convene with other individuals with diabetes and discuss concerns and strategies for healthier living.  

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Toolkit | CDC (May 2024)

This Page Last Updated: March 26, 2026 at 4:32 PM